Mechanical pick

The cabinet of pneumatic hammers shows 13 tools of this type. Mechanical picks or pneumatic hammers were used in Saar region mining since the 1920s and revolutionized underground mining. The tools, which were mostly operated with compressed air, significantly contributed to the increase in coal output. These pneumatic hammers replaced simpler mechanical tools, such as hammer and pick and were themselves replaced by far more efficient machines, such as coal cutters and planing machines in the 1950s. Nevertheless, pneumatic hammers were still used for special operations in the Saar region to the very end.